Conflicts On Home Turf
by Giddy76
Summary: When an old friend returns home with a priority of revenge, it throws what's left of Dean's time into a tail spin, upsetting the natural order of things and making him desperate to break his crossroads deal.
1. Chapter 1

**ONE**

_Seattle, Washington – Present Day_

She spotted them as soon as they walked through the doors of the bar. Hunters. They strutted with a certain confidence, a false security that they were untouchable. She knew because she felt it too. There was no room for doubt. No room for error. Kill or be killed, it was that simple.

She watched as they headed to the bar. They dressed like hunters. They smelled like hunters, even from this distance. But they looked like the opposite. Most hunters she'd known had bushy beards from their constant time on the road, wore two day old clothes from sleeping in their vehicle and they always wreaked of death, and although there was a waft of it coming from their direction, they were smooth shaven, clean clothed and so much younger than expected.

She strained her hearing to catch what inquiries they were making, but the noise of the bar drowned it out like a rock concert. She fought to focus on what she was doing before they walked in, but her eyes kept glancing in their general direction. She'd wait it out. It wasn't time to approach them yet.

She watched as the shorter one made his way to a free table, while the taller one went to the bathroom, and she wondered if he could sense all the evil that surrounded him, or if he cared. This bar was their safe house, it was a place they were guaranteed protection, so she was surprised to see hunters of their stature risking their lives for the sake of one hunt.

She made her way to the bar, keeping one eye on the newcomers. "Jack and coke." She ordered, raising the volume of her voice slightly to be heard over the minimal noise.

= X =

"Get the feeling we're not welcome?" Sam asked sitting down next to his brother.

"Are we ever?" Dean countered looking up from his newspaper.

But Sam wasn't listening; someone had caught his eye, "Huh."

"What?" His brother asked spinning in his seat to follow his line of vision.

"She keeps looking over here." He referred to the woman who'd taken an instant interest in them.

"Demon?"

"I don't think so."

"Then what's she doing in here?" He asked looking back at his younger brother.

He frowned as he watched her return to her seat, "She knows Dean."

"Knows what?" He frowned back.

"About the things we hunt, that are in this bar. And she's not afraid."

"How do you know what she knows? Are you psychic boy again?"

"No. I don't know how I know, I just do."

"Then how 'bout we go find out." Dean said getting to his feet, grabbing his drink and heading toward her before his brother could stop him.

= X =

"Beaten again Devon. It's not your lucky day." She told her opponent as she potted the black ball. With a smile she looked over at Dean, "Another shooter eh?"

"What?" He frowned and looked at the pool table, "No, I'm not here to play."

"You stepped into my office and this is the only way I do business." She said slipping her winnings into her back pocket.

"OK sister, you are on." He agreed to the challenge without any more persuasion.

"Do you have the money to stick where your mouth is?"

Dean removed his beat up leather jacket, "Hundred bucks says I can beat you."

"Oh handsome, I don't even pick up a cue for any less than three hundred."

Sam rolled his eyes as he approached to overhear the bet and they almost popped from their sockets when he heard Dean agree to it. He closed the gap between him and his brother, "Dean."

His face expressed confidence, "Don't worry Sammy. This is my game."

= X =

"Pay up." The female smiled holding out her hand in Dean's direction as she won the second game running.

Begrudgingly he handed her winnings over with a growl at the back of his throat.

"You wanna go again?" She asked pocketing the money.

He took his wallet out of his back pocket and counted the cash inside. He feigned a smile her way as he stepped toward his brother. "You got a hundred bucks?"

Sam frowned, "No. And if I did I wouldn't give it to you."

"C'mon grandma, I can make it back."

"That's what you said after you lost the first three hundred and now we're six hundred down." He replied unconvinced. "Just admit she's better at this than you are and we can leave."

"Dude, I can not lose to this chick."

"And yet you have… twice."

"You playing or not?" The woman asked growing impatient.

"Not." Sam replied before his brother could speak, encouraging the older sibling to castrate him with a look.

She was about to come back with something when a sudden shift in the far corner of the bar distracted her. "You need to leave, now." She warned the Winchesters.

"What?" Dean frowned at her.

"You walked into the wrong bar on the wrong night guys." She told them in a hush tone. "Isn't it bad enough that every demon that crawled out of Hell is looking to kill you without you seeking them out?"

"So you know who we are?"

"Yes, and word is travelling fast." She said shooting a look at the big guy in the corner that had got to his feet as she shoved Dean's jacket into his hands. "Now, go… and leave by the back door."

"Is this chick serious?" He rhetorically asked his brother.

"Don't you get it? Half this bar wants payback for being sent to Hell by you two and if they get a hold of you, being sent down the pit is going to feel like a vacation compared to what they'll do. So take some advice, leave while you can still walk."

"We can take any demon and send them straight back to Hell."

"One on one, yes. But the two of you against thirty or forty of them, I don't like your chances."

Sam looked around nervously as the big guy started over to them, "She's right Dean. Let's go." He ordered dragging his brother the short distance to the second exit and outside.

= X =

By the time closing had come around, she was the last one left to leave and she knew the Winchesters would be waiting. Dean had too much of an ego to be told what to do, much less be kicked out of a bar by a 'chick' and Sam had always been too curious for his own good. So she wasn't surprised to hear his voice as she made her way across the car park to her vehicle.

"You mind telling me what that was back there?" Dean called out.

"I was saving your ass." She called back over her shoulder.

"I don't need saving." He protested.

She spun on her heel to face him. "What are you doing here anyway Dean?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"Business."

"You call hanging out hustling pool in a demon bar business?"

"I thought you of all people would understand what it's like to look for something that doesn't want to be found."

"Is that some kind of cryptic message?"

"I've been hanging around this place for a month waiting for a demon and I'm not going to let you mess it up."

Sam walked up behind his brother, "You're a hunter?"

"Come on Sam, you already knew that. And God knows your brother got his ass kicked by me enough times that he should've known."

"And that would imply I know you." Dean commented.

"You used to."

"Oh sweetheart, I'm sure I'd remember you." He said, his face softening, as he looked her up and down.

She laughed, "I see you're still hitting on anything with a pulse."

Sam expressed amusement, "It sure sounds like she knows you." He leaned in to say to his brother.

"I was sorry to hear about Jessica Sam, and John – he was a good guy."

Dean took a few more steps toward her, "How do you know about my family?"

"You really don't remember?" She asked, not really surprised. "You know, I didn't think Sam would, he was 12 when we last saw each other. But you Dean, you and me were inseparable for almost three years before John took you and split."

She watched as the information sunk in and realisation hit the eldest of the two men. "Does your Dad know you're back stateside?"

"I'll get there, when I'm done here."

"Don't you think you owe it to him to let him know you're home?"

She started on a path back to him as anger began to pump through her veins. "Don't you dare for one second think that because you knew me once that it earns you the right to tell me what to do because it doesn't. I call him every other day to let him know I'm alive because I know he worries, but it's not like anyone ever cared enough to check on me."

"You up and left, no one knew where you were."

Sam's frown got deeper and deeper, "Could either of you clue me in on what I'm missing here?"

"That's Christina, Bobby's girl." Dean explained.

"I didn't even know Bobby had a daughter." He openly admitted.

"Well, I've been gone a while." Christina declared.

"A while is a month CJ, not years." Dean continued.

"I had to leave, I had to get out of there. I was suffocated."

"He was trying to protect you."

"He didn't need to protect me, I had the same training as you. All he wanted was to keep me from living any kind of normalcy."

"And this is normal?"

"It is for me. I can't seem to turn it off." She stated, beginning her confession. "I tried for a while. I met a guy and we were going to get married, but the hunter in me just wouldn't be suppressed." She laughed ironically. "It seems I've been doing this so long that I don't know how to do anything else. It makes you twisted, doesn't it Dean? But as much as I don't want this life, there's no reason for me to live any other way."

"So what, you're here for a bit of old fashioned revenge?"

"I thought you'd understand with what happened to your mom. I need this finished. I'm not going to be looking over my shoulder waiting for him to get to me first."

"There's got to be a better way than this."

"There isn't."

"Did you ask Bobby? He might be able to-" Sam started to suggest.

"I'm not talking to him about this; I don't want to hurt him."

"You shouldn't be doing this alone." Dean told her, in a soft voice.

"This is something I need to do."

"Then we'll help you." Sam offered.

"I've laid down too much ground work to let you steam roll your way in."

"No. We'll take our cue from you. This is your hunt; we'll do it your way."

"Take your brother home Dean."

"And leave you here to get killed? Bobby would never forgive me." He replied.

"I'm a good hunter, he made sure of that. I'm not stupid enough to let this thing get me."

"You might not have a choice. Doing this alone is a bad idea CJ and I'm not leaving you to fight this evil son of a bitch."

She sighed and suddenly dropped to her knees clutching at her chest. "No!" The cry came from her mouth, laced with demonic possession. "Go!" She screamed out a warning to the brothers.

But Dean was already at her side, "Let her go!"

Her eyes turned black in an instant, "I'm not done with her yet." The possessed woman said lashing out, throwing Dean into a parked car with hardly any effort at all. But Christina fought the demon inside her, "Leave him alone!" She called out clutching at the pain in her chest again.

Sam rushed over to check on his brother, "Are you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He replied. "Exorcise that bitch already."

But when Sam looked up, Christina and all traces of her were gone.

= X =

"So, she was possessed the whole time?" Sam asked his brother as they walked into their hotel room for the night.

The dated décor was an immediate impact when you walked through the door. The 60's patterned wallpaper screamed chaos and bad taste, while the furniture echoed an era that time forgot. Although the room wasn't as bad as some they'd stayed in, it was just as tacky as the best of them. But the Winchesters only cared that it was a bed for the night, not how it was dressed up.

"I doubt it. She wouldn't have warned us to leave the bar if she had been." Dean reasoned. "No, it must've got to her after we left."

"But she was her when she first walked out of the bar, so maybe she can suppress it."

"She would've told us."

"Between the shouting and the screaming? She wouldn't have had time."

"She would've found a way."

Sam shrugged, "Well, maybe she didn't know. Maybe when the demon takes over, she's locked inside her own body, like Dad was."

"All you're pitching me right now is a bunch of maybes Sam, you've got no answers." He shouted in frustration as he took his bag of weapons from under the bed.

He sighed, "Well, I know about as much as you do – or I thought I did."

"And by that you mean?"

"When were you going to tell me Bobby had a daughter?" He asked sitting down on one of the queen beds.

"It wasn't important enough to bring up. I haven't seen her in almost twelve years and she's been gone for four. I didn't know if she was ever coming back."

"We should call Bobby."

"No. She doesn't want him to know what she's doing here."

"You were the one that said she should call him."

"Yeah, _she_ should call him. Not us."

"Don't you think he should know?"

"That we found Christina or that she's possessed? Which news do you want to give him Sam? Because I can't tell him."

"But he should know, he is her father."

Dean took a deep breath as he sorted through his guns, "Well, not exactly. He adopted her."

Sam squinted his eyes to take in the news, "So, he's not her Dad?"

"He's brought her up since she was eight; he's the only father she knows."

"Does she know?"

"She was there when her parents were killed, and she remembers everything."

"What killed them?"

"A demon."

"We know why?"

"No, but Bobby kept track of it and every once in a while it shows up here so I guess she found out and that's why she's come home. She's looking for answers."

"But why that bar?"

"That was the bar Dad and Bobby saved her from 20 years ago." He explained getting his arsenal together.

Sam took a deep breath and got to his feet, "So, what do we do?"

"We go and look for her." He replied putting the Colt in the inside pocket of his jacket.

"But we have no idea where to look."

"Then we look everywhere."

Walking out of their room, the Winchesters found Christina stood next to the Impala, seemingly waiting for them.

Dean frowned at Sam, "Well, that was easy."

Christina traced her index finger along the edge of the bonnet of the car seductively, "So, how do you want to do this?"

"I'm thinking bound and gagged to a chair so we can send you straight back to Hell."

"Yeah, that's not going to work for me."

Dean smiled, "I didn't ask." He said taking out the Colt and shooting her in the leg.

Sam's mouth opened in shock, "You shot her."

Suddenly Christina threw her head back, her mouth opened wide and the black clouded form of the demon shot straight up in the air and out of sight, leaving her body limp. She collapsed to the ground in a heap and the boys rushed to her.

"Did that demon just, leave?" Sam frowned as his brother scooped the girl up into his arms.

"Yeah." He replied carrying her inside their room and lowering her to his bed.

"That's never happened before." Sam continued as Dean ripped up one of his shirts and wrapped it around Christina's leg to slow down the bleeding.

"It was an act of survival Sammy." He explained his theory as he grabbed the first aid kit. "We've got to get the bullet out of her."

= X =

The pain in her left thigh was the first thing she felt as she came round and it made her scream out, but she only heard the agony cry in her head. She was paralysed, unable to move or talk despite being able to hear voices around her. She willed her brain to move her arms but it was like she'd given them a command they didn't understand. She started to panic. What if she was stuck like this, trapped in her own body unable to control it for the rest of her natural life? Wait, the pain in her chest. Was she still possessed? Was she going to be a spectator, while the demon lived for her? She tried to concentrate on the voices in the room with her and it didn't take her long to figure out who it was.

"Pass me the tweezers." Dean ordered his younger brother.

"Don't you dare think about messing in my leg without getting me a drink first." Came her lacklustre order as she gained the ability to speak.

"You were unconscious." He told her.

"Well, I'm not now." She continued as her eyes managed to open and take in her surroundings. She tried to lift her arm off the bed to test her control over her body and she was successful. _Oh, thank God. _She whispered in relief to herself. She struggled to use her upper body strength to pull herself up into a sitting position and looked at Sam, "Where's that drink?"

Her request spurred him into action. He shot across the room, poured a measure of whiskey into a glass and returned in a matter of a minute. "Here." He said passing it to her.

"Thanks." She smiled shortly knocking it back as Dean got ready to remove the bullet from her leg.

He'd had bullet wounds treated in the past but he'd always been on the receiving end of treatment; he'd never played nurse before. He started to break out into a sweat but he fought to keep his cool. The blood didn't bother him, it was the fact he was going to be poking around inside her leg and he didn't know what he was doing. He took a deep breath and poised the tweezers over the wound.

"Are you going to get that bullet out of me or are you going to let me bleed to death?" Christina asked.

"Oh, don't tempt me." He retorted.

"Did you know you were possessed?" Sam asked curiously sitting on the foot of the bed.

Christina winced as she felt the tweezers delve into the hole in her leg, "Not until a couple of days ago, when I first felt the crippling pain in my chest and I blacked out. I tried to fight it but I wasn't strong enough."

"So why didn't you do anything about it when you woke up?" The surgeon asked continuing to fumble around in her laceration.

"You can't exorcise your own demon possession Dean, you know that."

"No but you could've picked up the phone."

"I did. I called Ellen but I couldn't get a hold of her, the roadhouse number is disconnected."

"That burned down." Sam informed her.

"When?"

"A few months ago."

"Why didn't you call your Dad?" Dean asked looking up from his task.

"Because I'm a big girl. I don't run crying to Daddy when something doesn't go right OK? I was handling it."

"Oh yeah, I saw how you were handling it."

"I've been hunting on my own for years now Dean. I don't need you to tell me how to do my job, OK?"

"Well, obviously you do otherwise you wouldn't have got yourself possessed. What happened to the charm Bobby gave you? Don't you wear it?"

"I lost it."

"And you didn't think to get a new one?"

"I made a mistake. Have you never made a mistake?"

"Yeah, I've taken a left instead of a right. But I've never been stupid enough to let myself get possessed."

"No, you just let the gate to hell get opened."

Sam rolled his eyes and laughed, "I find it hard to believe you two were ever inseparable."

"Well time has a way of changing things."

"Yeah, she wasn't such a bitch before." Dean said finally clamping the bullet in the tweezers and trying to pull it out.

The agony was evident on Christina's face as she screamed out, "Damn it Winchester! Do you have to be so heavy handed?"

"Do you want to do it? Because this is a first for me."

"Just treat it like one of the many women you have notched on your bedpost, tease it don't force it."

"Oh, quit being a baby." He said making a quick move with his hand and dislodging the hunk of metal. "See, it's easier when you shut up."

"My Dad told me you'd changed, but he didn't mention you were such an asshole."

"Oh, that's rich. Coming from the bitch of the apocalypse."

"OK you two. Fighting isn't helping." Sam sighed, having listened to enough.

"But it's what we do best." Christina said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Do you remember anything from when you were possessed that could help us?" Sam asked changing the subject back to the demon.

She sighed, "Sorry Sam, I only had flashes of reality. Nothing that made sense." She replied as Dean continued to dress her wound. "But at least now I know why I wasn't attacked by any of the demon's in the bar."

"Yeah, there's nothing like a good old fashioned possession to make you fit in with the locals."

= X =

Finally up on her feet, Christina made her way around the room taking everything in while Dean was out getting breakfast. "This place is depressing. You think they'd update the décor."

"It's not as bad as some of the places we've stayed in, I can tell you that." Sam smiled.

"I can't believe you two live hotel room to hotel room. Don't you have anywhere to call home?"

He shrugged, "Not unless you count the car."

"That's really sad. Don't you want to be normal?"

"I was for a while back there. But it was only a matter of time until this life caught up to me." He remembered back to life with Jessica. "I'm not sure I know what normal is anymore."

She hobbled over to the bed where he sat and perched beside him. "Do you want to settle down someday?"

"Yeah, someday. But right now, Dean needs me so this is it." He responded as Dean walked back into the room with take away.

"Don't tell me you two are sharing some chick flick moment." He commented dumping the food on the table.

Christina rolled her eyes as she got back up to her feet, "We were just talking Dean."

"Yeah well I'm not sure I want you putting ideas into my brother's head, he's very impressionable."

"Relax; I'm not going to infect him with my toxic personality." She said approaching the table. She frowned when she caught sight of some pictures Dean had started to collect up. "What are those?"

"They're the reason we're here." He replied showing the top photo. "Ten guys, all married and healthy, died of asphyxiation in the last two weeks."

She moved her eyes to the table at the remaining pictures sitting there and pushed them around to get a better look, "I know these guys."

Dean raised his eyebrows, "All of them?"

"Yeah."

"How?"

"I saw them dying."

He looked at his brother and back again, "You mean you witnessed their murder?"

"I mean, I closed my eyes and I saw them. It started happening around the same time I was blacking out. I thought I was having premonitions at first but I was literally watching them die. Then two night's ago…" She trailed off having a flash of a memory. "I think, I think I killed them."


	2. Chapter 2

**TWO**

_Bobby's House, South Dakota – February 1989_

"C'mon Dean, this stuff is important. Concentrate." John Winchester drilled into his son as he stood teaching.

"Then tell her." 10-year-old Dean demanded pushing Christina away from him.

"That's not an excuse." He refused to cut him any slack. "You need to know this stuff."

The young boy dropped his eyes to the desk he sat at, "Sorry Sir."

That's when Bobby walked through the door, returning from a hunt. "I'm home."

Christina's eyes lit up and she ran to greet him. "Daddy."

The older man smiled. After being away from her for two days he was happy to see her. "Hey Princess." He said enveloping her in his arms. "Have you been good for John?"

"He's been teaching us about demons." She replied. "Are you hungry? Shall I make some lunch?"

"Only if you're done with your lesson." He replied to which she looked up at her teacher.

"Go ahead." John gave her permission with a soft smile.

"Can I go too Dad?" Dean asked hopeful.

"Sure buddy." He said looking at his friend. "How'd it go?"

= X =

"Do you want PB and J?" Christina asked removing the bread from its bag and going about her task.

"Yeah." Dean replied jumping up onto the kitchen worktop.

"Sam!" She called through the window to the 6-year-old who was building a snowman in the backyard with Rumsfeld. "Do you want PB and J for lunch?"

"Please." His polite reply came.

"I don't see why we have to learn this stuff and Sammy gets to play out in the snow." Dean complained.

"Uncle John just wants to make sure we know things so we can look after ourselves." She replied with a carefree attitude.

Dean was sick of her knowing it all, more to the point he was sick of getting into trouble just because she'd lost her parents. They seemed to forget that his mom was dead too and no one was being extra protective of him. He snapped immediately. "He's not your uncle!" He spat out angrily jumping back down to the floor.

She shrugged, "So? Bobby isn't your uncle either."

"Well, at least I've got a Dad." He said wanting to hurt her. "Bobby isn't your Dad just because you want him to be."

Christina saw red and used both her hands to push him in the chest, "Take that back!" She screamed.

He copied her action, pushing her into the table. "Make me."

Anger made her stay on her feet, "You take it back or I'll kill you." She threatened as John and Bobby rushed through the door in time to see her kick him in the shin.

Bobby rushed over to restrain her before she could lunge at him again, "Hey, what's going on?"

"He said you weren't my Dad." She answered.

"It's the truth." Dean spat out as his Dad kept him from going at her.

"Dean, that's enough." John told him.

He turned on his father, "Why do you always take her side? You're always protecting her." He shouted storming from the room.

_Seattle, Washington – Present Day_

"I know neither of you want to, but I think we need to call Bobby." Sam suggested hearing Christina's confession.

"C'mon Sam, she didn't actually kill them." Dean assured his brother. "I know she's a bitch, but she's not a murderer."

"OK, that's it, you call me a bitch once more I am going to separate you from your genitalia." She told the older man.

"You may have been able to get away with that when we were younger but you haven't got Daddy here to protect you now."

"And what makes you so sure I'd need protection? I could probably kick your ass and not even break a sweat."

Sam rolled his eyes again. He was amazed they'd been able to be in a room together, much less be friends. "Guys." He pleaded weakly for them to stop. But he went unheard.

Dean stepped closer to her, "You think I won't hurt you because you're a girl?"

"You're not as good on your best day as I am on my worst day." She squared up to him.

"Then maybe we need to step outside, bitch."

"What did I tell you?"

"STOP IT!" Sam ordered getting between them. "You two have got to stop this macho bullshit because we need to figure out what's going on and we can't do that if you're at each other's throats every five minutes."

"Then you need to tell your brother to keep his mouth shut." Christina responded.

Sam sighed and walked toward the door, "I'm gonna call Bobby, see if he knows anything about what's going on. Kill each other if you want, I don't care."

"Whoa Sam." Christina called out to him. "Don't mention me."

Dean frowned as his brother left the room, "Why don't you want him to know where you are?"

"I told you, I don't want to…"

"Hurt him? Yeah, I heard that shit excuse already and I'm not buying it."

"Do you want a fat lip?"

He smiled as he made his way across the room to his bed and sat down, "I forgot you do that."

"What is it I do?"

"Whenever you don't want to talk about something you get all defensive and make threats."

Her eyes dropped to the floor. He was right. It was something she'd been doing since she was a teenager. It was a way of protecting herself, although from what she wasn't sure. She was always reluctant to talk about her feelings, it made her uncomfortable, like her emotions were her weakness and she hated that he knew her so well, even after all this time.

She sighed as she sat down on Sam's bed, "For almost 20 years he's been my father, and I don't want him to think my being here means that somehow he wasn't good enough."

"He's always known this would happen."

Her eyes met his, "How do you know that?"

"Why do you think he kept track of it for so long and didn't kill it? Because he knew you'd want to finish it." He said. "When you left, he was broken. You hurt him more by leaving than you ever could by telling him you're here."

"What if it killed again?"

"He made sure it didn't. I don't know how, but he did."

That's when Sam returned to the room, "You're both still alive then?"

Dean got to his feet, "What did Bobby say?"

"He's gonna call back when he's got something."

= X =

"What you got for us Bobby?" Dean asked answering his phone.

"The thing you're dealing with is the spirit of a prostitute that was killed around there in the late 70's. She's died a pretty violent death too; a group of local men raped and butchered her out of revenge." He gave him the facts.

"But she's not a spirit Bobby, she's a demon that's possessing women and using them to kill for her."

"Well, I checked the names of all the guys she's killed so far, they're all sons of the guys that killed her and she's not done yet, there are three more guys on that list; William Harris, David Towne and Robert Nash."

"Thanks Bobby."

"Oh hey Dean, could you get Sam to use that computer of his to put a trace on a cell phone for me?"

"Who do you want to track down?" He asked looking over at Christina.

"I haven't heard from CJ in a week and she usually checks in."

"Sure, what's the number?" He asked so as to keep up the façade. "I'll call you later." He said hanging up. He looked over at the female in his company, "You need to call your Dad, he's worried."

"I will." She replied. But her anger grew as he continued to stare at her. "Well, if I call him now right after you've spoke to him, it'll look suspicious."

"OK, but if he calls you, you're answering your phone."

"And you think you can tell me what to do, why?"

"I'm through arguing with you about this CJ, just do it."

"Does it make you feel big and powerful throwing around orders?"

"CJ." He said sternly.

"Dean." She responded with an attitude.

"He's worried about you. All you've got to do is let him know you're OK."

"I think you've got me mixed up with a waitress, you see I don't take orders."

"Fine, then I'll call him and let him know you're here with us." He responded taking his phone from his pocket.

Christina shot up to stop him before he could dial, "OK, I'll do it. If he calls, I'll answer."

Dean felt immediately drunk with power. It wasn't often he got the upper hand when it came to her, but when it did happen he got a rush of satisfaction, which always took him by surprise.

_Bobby's House, South Dakota – April 26, 1995_

Even though he wore earplugs the gunshot still seemed to shatter 16-year-old Dean's ear drum as he practised his aim on some empty cans in the backyard. He'd bulls-eyed every target set for him, which made him look at his Dad to find him beaming with pride. He captured it to memory. There wasn't many times his Dad had smiled since the death of his mother, he seemed constantly consumed by worry or fear, but today was the mark of a change. He'd finally proved all the training had paid off and he felt good about himself for the first time in a long time.

But all too quickly his Dad's scowl returned. "Christina, you're holding that wrong." He called to the teenage girl. "You need to straighten your arm or it's gonna hurt when you take a shot."

"I'm sorry. But this isn't exactly the birthday celebration I had in mind." She countered putting his advice into practise.

"The candles on your birthday cake will have to wait. It's important you get this stuff." John said.

She lowered her weapon, "You keep saying that, but I don't want to know how to shoot a gun. I'm not planning a career in hunting." She was direct.

"Maybe not, but you may not have a choice."

= X =

"Your Dad's mad at me because I can't hit the target." Christina spat out in frustration as John left her and Dean in the back yard.

"No, he's not." He tried to make her feel better.

"Really? Because he seemed pretty pissed when he was shouting at me a minute ago."

He laughed, "OK, maybe he is mad, but I think that's the only mood he's capable of since my mom died."

She looked down at the gun in her hand, "I can't believe I'm worrying about how to hit a target when I should be obsessed with dating every hot guy in school."

"School is over-rated." Dean smiled, "At least that's what they tell me."

"Maybe, but it'd be nice to find out."

"You wouldn't learn these skills in school."

"Yeah well, that wouldn't be such a bad thing." She said sitting down on the concrete steps by the back door.

He sat down next to her, "You need to know how to protect yourself CJ."

She sighed, "I wish I could just be a normal teenager, consumed with boys, make up and the latest boy band phenomenon instead of demons, hand to hand combat and guns."

"I don't want to be normal, it's boring."

"Don't you ever want to have a girlfriend?"

"I've never really thought about it. Learning this stuff kind of keeps my mind occupied."

"Not me, someday I plan to get married and have kids, be like everyone else."

"You keep saying you want to be 'normal', but do you even know what that is?"

"I watch Days Of Our Lives."

"But that's TV, that's not real life. This, training and stuff, it's real. That's what makes it normal."

Although she knew the things she'd learned since her parents' death would probably save her life someday, she still fought against it. She didn't want to be a hunter, even though Bobby and John had insisted upon it being her career choice. She wanted to live the fairytales she'd seen play out on TV and the more they pushed her into the life they wanted for her, the more she tried to rebel. But in a funny way, she knew Dean was right; she should know how to protect herself.

"Then you better give me some after school tuition because I won't learn how to shoot this thing with your Dad shouting at me every time I make a mistake."

_Seattle, Washington – Present Day_

Christina sighed as she threw down the local newspaper on the table she sat at. She was going crazy being confined to the Winchesters hotel room and the décor was giving her a headache. "Where the hell is Sam?" She asked his brother, who sat on his bed reading over his latest copy of Weekly World News.

"He'll be back when he's got something." Dean replied.

"Maybe we should've gone with him."

"With your leg banged up like that? I think people would notice."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have shot me."

"But it's been a lifelong dream of mine." He smiled in his usual Dean way.

"You mean it was revenge."

"I don't know what you're talking about." He continued to scan the pages.

"You've never forgiven me for shooting you in the ass with that pellet gun when you were teaching me how to aim."

He dropped his magazine to his lap, "I couldn't sit down for weeks." He exclaimed.

"It was an accident. I thought I'd put the safety on." She explained. "You know, you never used to be so bitter and twisted."

"It takes one to know one sweetheart."

"Oh, I'm sweetheart now. I guess that's an improvement on your other nickname for me."

"Hey, I can keep calling you a bitch if you want. It works for me."

"How did you get like this? Did some girl do a number on you or is it down to how your Dad treated you?"

"You can quit trying to figure me out because I don't do heart to heart chick flick moments, that's Sam's thing."

"And what's your thing Dean? Are you still using your job to work out all your aggression? Because that isn't healthy."

"It's worked so far."

"Yeah, but look where it's got you. You made a deal with the devil and in ten months you're going to be dead."

Dean swung his legs off the bed and got to his feet, "People keep bringing that up like I've forgot, but I'm the one that made the deal. I know I'm on a time scale OK, but this is the only way I can make sure he copes after I've gone."

"You don't have to worry. Dad and I will look after Sam when that happens." She managed to get out before Sam interrupted them, walking back into the room.

"OK, David Towne lives on the corner of 4th and Madison, William Harris lives at Denny Way and Robert Nash is out of town on business." He told them his findings.

"I think I know two of those guys." Christina revealed.

"And you didn't think to tell us this before?" Dean asked.

"I didn't know I knew them, I only know them on a first name basis."

"How do you know them?" Sam asked trying to avoid another fight breaking out.

"I think this guy David lives on the same floor as me and William's my boss at Trinity."

"Then let's go talk to them." Dean said grabbing his jacket.

"Why don't you two pack up your stuff and come home with me?" She suggested. "I've got two bedrooms in my apartment so it means you'll have to share, but it'll be better than staring at these four walls and we can talk to David when we get there."

"I don't know if I want to share with the seed of Satan."

"You better get used to it, you're heading to his home state."

"Ha ha. You're hilarious."

"OK well, look at it this way, free room and board."

"I'm not sure that's enough to make me put up with you."

"Well, I cook."

Dean took a moment to think about it, "Well, when you put it like that…"

= X =

"I can't believe John gave you the Impala." Christina said as they headed outside to the parking lot. "Can I drive her?"

"Well…" Dean tried to think on his feet for a reason not to let her.

"Oh c'mon, you know I'll be careful." She pleaded.

Reluctantly he passed her the keys, "You scratch her, and I'll kill you." He warned.

Sam's mouth dropped open, the only time he got to drive was when Dean was being nice to him or he wanted some sleep and all Christina had to do was ask and he just handed over the keys? He was his brother and that held no weight with him so why was he so quick to let her drive? Picking up his chin, Sam climbed into the backseat.

Christina sat in the drivers seat and smiled like an excited schoolgirl on prom night as she put the key in the ignition and turned the engine over. "Oh my God, listen to her purr." She squealed revving the engine a few times.

Sam raised his eyebrows, "The similarities are uncanny." He muttered.

"What?" Dean asked turning in the passengers seat to look at him.

But he shook his head, "Nothing."

= X =

As they made their way into her apartment building Christina tried to walk as normal as possible, even though the gunshot pulsated with a piercing pain every time she used her leg.

"Hey Mike." She greeted the middle-aged security guard that sat behind the desk in the lobby.

"Hi Miss Singer." He replied.

"These are old friends from out of town, I'm putting them up for a few days so you be sure to let them up anytime OK?"

"Will do." He nodded. "And what about the other guy?"

She frowned, "What other guy?"

"The one you brought back last night."

"I brought someone back here?"

"Yeah, and he still hasn't left. Maybe you worked him too hard, huh? Maybe he's still sleeping it off."

She forced a smile. His interest in her life had started the minute she'd moved in, he'd always ask where she was going and who with and she'd taken it as friendly at first but it didn't sit right with her. "Yeah, maybe." She replied leading the way to the elevators.

"Someone's got an admirer." Dean taunted in a hush tone as he walked behind her.

"He's not my type."

"Who is your type and who's the guy he was talking about?"

"I don't know, I was possessed remember?"

= X =

Christina looked up and down the hall as she reached her front door, "Are you packin'?" She asked Dean as she removed her key from her pocket.

He pulled a face like it was ridiculous she could think otherwise, "Always."

"Good, cause I don't know this guy and if he's still here, it can't be a good thing." She said putting her key in the lock and cautiously opening the door.

Dean pulled his gun out from his inside jacket pocket and walked in first with it cocked and ready. He looked up and down the hall and proceeded through the first door inside the apartment, as Sam and Christina followed in after him. It wasn't until they reached the lounge that they saw the body lying in the middle of the floor, blooded and broken.

"Well, I guess that's why he didn't leave." Dean said lowering his weapon.

"Do you remember any of this?" Sam asked hovering over the body.

"Yeah, cause this is the face of someone in the know." She countered.

Dean frowned as he put his gun away, "Do you treat all your guests like this, because I'm beginning to rethink your offer? No amount of good food is worth dying for." He said causing her to strike his upper arm with a backhand.

"Not funny Winchester."

"I'm not laughing."

"Well, apparently Robert Nash isn't out of town on business." Sam said showing them the ID he'd found on the body.

Christina looked down on the body, "How are we going to get him past Mike?"

"Doesn't he ever go home?"

"Yes, but then Malcolm takes over. This is a secure building, that's why I picked it."

"I bet you're wishing you lived in a motel room now huh?" Dean commented only to get a dirty look from her in response. "Alright, well, is there a trash shoot in this secure building?"

"Yeah, it's at the end of the hall."

"That's how we get him past Mike."

She shifted her weight onto her good leg and folded her arms, "That's great. But what do I do when they find the body and the police start asking questions? He saw me bring him up here and he knows he didn't leave."

"Well it looks like your moving."

"I can't leave, I'm not finished here."

"Dean's right Christina, unless you want to spend 25 to life behind bars you're going to have to leave town." Sam said, agreeing with his brother.

_Bobby's House, South Dakota – May 1995_

"We're leaving tonight." John told his two sons as they sat finishing dinner with Bobby and Christina.

Dean frowned, "Why?"

"It's better if we're on the road." He offered no more explanation.

"But I like it here." Sam protested.

"I know buddy, but we don't belong here."

Christina felt the muscles in her stomach tighten as tears welled up in her eyes. Growing up around the Winchesters had made her feel like she was still part of a family and she didn't want them to leave. But she knew once John made his mind up about something, that there was no reasoning with him or changing it back. She swallowed her feelings back and excused herself from the table.

"Chrissie." Bobby called after her. But when she ignored him, he got to his feet to follow her.

Dean stopped him, "Can I go Bobby?"

He nodded, "Sure. She'd probably prefer to see you anyhow."

= X =

Walking up the stairs Dean stopped outside her bedroom and knocked the door. "CJ." He called out to let her know who it was.

"Come in." She called back, her voice broken with emotion.

He opened the barrier between them and walked inside. "You OK?"

She sniffed back the tears that had begun to fall, "I don't know why you have to leave."

"If my Dad thinks we have to leave then we have to leave." He responded sitting next to her on her bed.

"Yeah well, it sucks out loud."

He laughed, "Yeah it does. But we'll visit."

"No offence, but I'm not going to hold my breath."

He dropped his head, "It's probably best you don't."

"Hey Dean, Bobby and I are going out for supplies. Watch your brother." John barked orders up the stairs.

"K Dad." He called back before looking at Christina. "I guess I better go downstairs."

But as he got up to leave she reached for his hand and stopped him, "No, stay."

"OK." He responded curiously as he slowly lowered back down to her bed.

Taking a deep breath for courage, Christina leaned over and kissed him. To her surprise he kissed her back as she shifted to sit across his lap. It didn't take long for the fire of desire to ignite in the pit of his stomach. Supporting her back, he shifted so he was in control, lying between her legs, pressing her into the mattress.

He'd been watching her for years turn from a girl into a sexy young woman and he'd be lying if he said he hadn't thought about having sex with her. He'd wanted to act on his feelings more than once but given how fiery she could be he thought it was more than his life was worth.

He forced their lips to part and looked down on her face, "Are you sure…"

But she lifted her head to kiss him again, "Stop talking."


	3. Chapter 3

**THREE**

_Seattle, Washington – Present Day_

Dean looked over at Sam with impatient eyes as Christina darted from place to place picking up her belongings. "How long does it take you to pack a friggin' bag?" He asked agitated.

She stopped and looked at him, "Do you want this done quickly or do you want it done right?"

"You're not defusing a bomb alright. Just throw some clothes in a bag and we can leave. Or have you changed your mind about that two by six cell?"

"I'm almost done so get your boxers out of the twist you've managed to wind them into." She stated disappearing from the room.

"She doesn't even know the meaning of quick getaway." He commented to his brother as he finally stopped pacing and sat down.

"Just give her some time. She built a home here." Sam responded sympathetic.

"Hunters aren't supposed to have homes."

His brother frowned, "Pastor Jim, Caleb and Daniel Elkins all had homes."

"Yeah, and look where that got them." He countered cruelly. "Demons know where to find you if you have a permanent address."

Sam looked bemused, "Don't you ever wish you could settle down?"

"No. I love being on the road." He replied. "Why? Do you think about that stuff?"

"Yeah." He confessed. "It's what I had with Jessica and, one day, I want it again."

Dean's eyes widened, "Wow."

"Is that such a surprise?"

His look was vacant as he sat back in his seat, "Uh, yeah. I thought this was us sorted for life."

"What life Dean? In ten months you're going to die."

"So, you're just going to go back to a picket fence life?"

"What else is there after you're gone?"

"There'll still be demons to hunt. They won't just disappear when I go, you know that don't you?" He was obviously angry.

"Do you think I want to hunt on my own Dean? I don't. I want you to be with me and if you can't be, then I don't want to do it alone."

Dean was about to come back with something when Christina appeared, cutting him off before he'd even had a chance to speak.

"OK, I'm good to go." She announced dragging a huge suitcase behind her.

Dean jumped up to his feet, "What the hell is that?"

"My clothes."

"Are you sure you didn't throw your whole bedroom in there?"

"Don't be so over-dramatic. Its just clothes."

"That kind of weight is going to slow us down."

She sighed and threw her case on the floor. "Don't test me Dean because I just found out that I've killed innocent men, when I've spent the best part of my life trying to save people."

He rolled his eyes, "My God, you better be premenstrual."

She squinted at him as she placed her hands on her hips, "Baby, if I were premenstrual, you'd be dead already."

= X =

Dean exhaled as he struggled to get Christina's case in the backseat of his Impala. It hadn't taken him long to begin to lose his temper and it didn't help that he was being supervised instead of helped.

"Come on Winchester, put your back into it." Christina said flashing a smile at his brother.

He growled and hit the case, "Damn thing. What do you need so many clothes for?"

"I'm a woman." She scoffed like he should already know the answer.

"Well, I'm going to throw your clothes out on the street in a minute. How do you like that?" He smirked.

Christina walked over, "Oh, move over." She said shoving him out the way and attempting to finish the job he started. With a determined manoeuvre, Christina lodged the case inside the back door and closed it. "And the moral of the story is, don't ask a big strong guy to do a woman's job." She commented with a wicked glint in her eye. "So, where are you shipping me off to?"

"I'm taking you home." Dean said wiping the smile off her face.

She began to shake her head, "No. I'm not going back. I'm not done here."

"Yeah, you are." He replied opening the drivers' door. "Sam and I will deal with this."

"No, this is my hunt. You're not taking it from me."

Dean slammed his car door shut, "You don't get it do you. If you're seen around here and the police start asking questions when they find the body in your apartment building, you go away all right. So I'm taking you home."

"You're not my father Dean, so stop trying to act the part."

"Then stop acting like a baby."

Her phone started to ring, breaking up their fight. With a frown she took it from her back pocket and saw her Dad's picture come up on the screen to I.D. the caller. She sighed and Dean immediately sensed who it was.

"Answer it." He ordered her. She looked him in the eye in quiet consideration. "Answer it, or I call him."

Flipping open her phone, she walked away from the brothers to get some measure of privacy. "Hey Daddy." She smiled.

"Hey Princess." She heard the instant relief in Bobby's voice. "Where have you been? I've been trying to get a hold of you for days."

"I'm OK Daddy. I'm just on a job so I thought I'd wait till it was over before I called." She lied tucking some of her fringe behind her ear. "But I'm OK."

= X =

Sam watched as Christina walked away and closed the gap between he and his brother, "Was there ever a time when you two weren't yelling at each other?"

Dean thought back to the night they left Bobby's, "Well there was this one time when…"

"You slept with her didn't you?" Despite his accusation, Dean didn't answer. He just wore an all-telling look on his face. Sam shook his head ruthlessly, "You are unbelievable."

"It was before Dad took us away… and she initiated it all right. So don't label me the bad guy."

"And you didn't think to call her at all, in twelve years?"

"No, because I didn't have her number."

"You could've got it from Bobby."

He wiped his mouth in bewilderment and scratched his head, "Uh, I don't know whether you've noticed Sam, but I was kind of busy hunting the thing that killed our mother."

"A phone call takes ten minutes, tops."

He frowned, "Why does this bother you so much? She doesn't care."

"Have you maybe thought that she does and that's why you two are constantly at each other's throats?"

"We were always at each other's throats… except when we were… you know, doing it." He smiled.

Sam pulled a face as Christina rejoined them and he tried to cover his disgust at the image he'd created. "Everything OK?"

"Yes." She sighed. "Except now he wants me to go home."

Dean frowned, "Why would he want you to go home?"

"Because I told him I was the one who'd been possessed by the prostitute's spirit."

"Oh great, now he knows I deliberately didn't tell him you were with us." He cursed. "Thanks a lot CJ."

"Well I had to tell him something when he asked me to come home. The only thing I didn't bank on was his resolution to see me."

"Maybe if you called more often, he wouldn't worry."

"Sometimes I don't get time to check in."

"Maybe you should've made time."

She put her hands on her hips, "Tell me Dean, how many times do you think to make calls when you're on a job?"

He stared at her, his conversation with Sam just minutes before running over in his mind. He pointed to the car, "Get in. I'm driving you home." He said, opening his car door again.

"I told him I'd be home after we'd wrapped up the case."

"And I told you, we'll finish this one off. You need to go home and see your father."

"What are a couple more days? C'mon Dean, you've got to let me try and catch the scumbag demon that left me an orphan." She practically pleaded.

The older man looked over at his younger brother that wore a sympathetic expression and he sighed. "You're lucky he's here." He said pointing at Sam. "Because I'd be forcing you into the car kicking and screaming to take you back to South Dakota."

She looked at Sam and smiled wickedly, "I love it when he's forceful."

= X =

"I don't know why we had to drive to the next state in order to get a room." Christina commented as Dean threw his bag off his shoulder.

"We have to keep you under the radar. So the further away you are, the better." He responded. "We don't want the cops coming down on us."

"Ah, how magnificently selfish of you."

"Hey, I'm not going behind bars because of you."

"No, you'd go away because of your own criminal record."

"Which is why I don't need you attracting attention."

She smiled and glanced over at the beds, "So, which one of you am I sharing with?"

= X =

Dean pulled up outside Trinity – the club where Christina had been earning a wage – and turned in his seat to look at her. "Stay here. We'll go and get William."

She frowned, "I'm not staying here. I'm coming with you."

"No, you're not."

"You've got more chance of getting him if I go in, unless of course you want him to call the cops."

Sam looked over at him from the passengers seat, "She's got a point."

= X =

Christina ran across the road watching for traffic as she made her way to the Impala and slid into the backseat. "He's not there. Someone hit him over the head with a beer bottle. He's at the hospital getting stitches."

Dean started the car engine but before he pulled off Christina stopped him, "Wait, shouldn't one of us check on David?"

The driver looked back at her, "Do you really want to go back to that building?"

"I didn't say me, I said one of us."

"I'll go." Sam suggested. "You two go to the hospital and I'll check on David."

= X =

"You always fought this life." Dean told Christina as he drove toward the hospital, "I never understood why?"

She sighed, "Because I saw what it did to John and Bobby. It was all they could talk about." She honestly admitted. "I wanted to mean something to someone and not just drive state to state rescuing people who wouldn't care about me the next day."

"You already mean something to someone."

"Dad doesn't count, because one day he's going to be gone and I'll be alone."

"You meant something to me."

"Maybe, but you took off without so much as a goodbye, so that's how much I meant to you."

Dean coughed awkwardly, trying to approach the subject of the lack of contact without being insensitive. "You shouldn't take that personal. I barely keep in touch with anyone."

She glanced down at her hands, "Don't worry about it. I knew what I was getting into Dean. We were kids, and those relationships are never meant to last."

He frowned, "But you seem pissed at me."

She frowned back, "I'm not pissed at you. I'm pissed at myself. I chose to do this; I stupidly thought I could do it for a while until something else came along and then I'd move on. But everything that came along was something to hunt. No matter what I've done to try and get out of it, it's backfired and I ended up deeper inside. It sucks being dependable when nobody really knows what's out there in the dark. "

He raised his eyebrows, knowing exactly where she was coming from. It was hard doing what they did to keep people safe and not being recognised for it. But as much as he hated being unpaid and unappreciated, he wouldn't welcome the attention.

= X =

Sam cautiously walked down the corridor to David's apartment per Christina's instruction. The security guard had given him a half smile and allowed him access without question, which he was thankful for. He didn't want to have to explain his reason for being there, especially when he had no valid reason already prepared.

As he walked past Christina's apartment, he recalled the past few days with her and his brother and a ruthless smile met his lips. He couldn't imagine the two of them ever getting on, even long enough to be intimate. He chuckled as he stopped outside the door numbered 2493 and reached up to apply a knock to it. He immediately heard movement the other side and cleared his throat to prepare to speak.

The door slowly opened and revealed a young man. "Hello."

"Hello sir. I'm Detective Burton. I'm looking for a Mr. David Towne." Sam used his fake identification.

He frowned, "I'm David Towne." He revealed opening his door a little bit wider. "What can I do for you?"

= X =

It was some time later when Christina walked out of the hospital entrance and met up with Dean, "He's gone home." She announced.

"I assume you know where that is." He said somewhat agitated.

"I know how to do the job Dean. You don't need to keep treating me like I'm new to this." She countered getting sick of his patronizing tone.

"You were the one who let yourself get possessed."

She rolled her eyes, "And your crossroads deal was a pure moment of genius." She counteracted as they made their way back to the car.

Dean nodded, "It was better than living without Sam." He replied honestly.

"Oh yeah, it's much better that he's got to live without you. He's going to cope so much more." She was sarcastic.

"Do you think you're saying anything I haven't heard a thousand times before? Because you're not." He was immediately defensive. "But he was dead and that was the only way I could save him."

She held up her hands to ward off an attack as they reached the Impala, "Hey, I get it. I'm just not sure I could do it. I don't think there's anyone who means that much to me that I'd be willing to sacrifice my life for theirs." She showed the same honesty. With a pause, she reached out to rest her arms on the roof of the car. "I happen to think that what you did was extremely courageous… idiotic, but courageous."

= X =

Walking away from the apartment building, Sam pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialled his brother. Patiently he waited for any sign of life the other end, "I spoke to David, he's alive – at least for now. What do you want me to do?" He asked.

"William had left the hospital so we're going to swing by his place. So, keep your eye on him in case he's the next on the list." Dean instructed him.

"OK, call me if you get anything."

= X =

Dean hung up the phone and turned to his companion as he pulled up outside the house she'd directed him to. "Sam's watching David."

"Let's pray he doesn't have to deal with the bitch on his own." Christina said climbing out of the car.

Getting out of the vehicle, he walked after her as she made her way up the steps to her bosses' front door and found a frown had etched itself on her brow. "What?"

"It's open." She pointed out.

Immediately Dean reached for his gun and cocked it ready, "Then what are we waiting for?" He asked pushing it open to gain access inside.

Christina took the gun she'd had tucked in the back of her jeans and pulled the hammer back, getting it ready to fire. She nodded to her hunting partner to signal she was ready and followed him inside. They explored the entrance hall and came up empty. But as they walked into the room to their direct left, they came upon a female covered in blood standing over the body of William. Keeping her gun trained on the possessed human as she silently stepped forward, while Dean approached from the other side. He nodded in her direction to initiate action and whistled a distraction at the demon.

She turned and screeched loudly as Christina pierced a bullet through her leg as Dean removed his Latin exorcism book from the inside pocket of his leather jacket and began reading from it. But the demon wasn't at first affected by the words; instead it lunged forward at Christina and threw her into a nearby wall. She crumpled to the floor like a rag and struggled to get to her feet before the next blow came, that sent her hurtling back into some shelves, which instantly came crashing down around her.

That's when the Latin words started to take affect, and the possessed woman fought it by attacking him, throwing him into the TV. So Christina began to finish the scripture from memory as she got to her feet and realised the demons concentration had stayed on Dean. It didn't take her long to exorcise the demon and send it back to hell, but that didn't stop her fighting before the black cloud shot from the hosts body and flew out of the front door.

Christina sighed a deep breath of relief as she brushed her hair from off her face, "Phew. That was hard work."

"Did you think it was going to be a walk in the park?"

"No, but I thought you'd be strong enough to hold her off for a while."

"I didn't see you do any better."

"Yeah, but you're a big strong man." She countered derisively. "I thought you, of all people, would've done better."

He pulled a face and looked down at the unconscious female, "What are we going to do with her?"

She shrugged, "We take her home."

"Do you read minds? Because how are we supposed to know where she lives?"

"I don't know. I can't think straight. I'm buzzing with adrenaline."

He raised his eyebrows, "Buzzing how?"

"Hunting always makes me horny."

"Are you serious?" He asked unable to conceal his shock.

= X =

Dean pushed his way through the motel room door as Christina attached herself to his lips again. She'd practically pounced on him as soon as they'd got in the car and he hadn't thwarted her. Christina was his only Achilles' heel, apart from Sam. He kept his emotions buried, so he never showed his weakness when it came to her but it was there, hidden beneath the surface.

He turned as they got inside and kicked the door closed as they continued kissing and headed for the bed. Separating her lips from his, Christina pushed Dean back so he landed on his bed and she advanced to sit across his lap before starting to kiss him again. His hands slid up the back of her t-shirt and he pulled her closer as their tongues started to tussle. Her skin was smooth to the touch and it encouraged the fire burning in the pit of his stomach to flare. He allowed her to reach out, grab the bottom of his shirt and pull it over his head before he got to his feet and turned to lay her down on the bed. He lowered himself gently on top of her, pushing her into the mattress beneath them as he applied tentative kisses down her neck.

They were fighting most of the time, so he wanted this to mean something to her, to make sure a part of him stayed with her. Fighting with her was the only way he knew how to show his affection, so this was a nice change. Pulling out of the kiss, he looked down on her face, taking in the sight of her simple beauty, for a minute. He smiled and she smiled back, they were both aware of what was to come and they were both comfortable with it.

He lowered his head and applied a lasting kiss softly on her lips. She reached up to place her hands around his neck, wanting to savour his touch so it lingered forever. Dean always made her feel safe, and tonight was no exception.

= _The Next Morning _=

Christina woke up before Dean, to find him lay facing away from her snoring. She smiled to herself, being instantly reminded of the first time they'd slept with each other and getting an instant sense of déjà vu. Trying to make minimal noise, she collected her clothes, which had been scattered all over the room and crept into the bathroom to get prepared for the day ahead. It was when she stepped out of the shower that she heard the room door slam shut and curiously made her way out only to find Sam stood dripping by the entrance.

Dean rubbed his eyes to try and wake up, and when he saw his brother, he frowned. "Where have you been?"

"You were going to call me, remember?" He asked his older sibling with a raised voice.

Christina immediately found amusement in the state of the younger man, and tried to cover her mouth so he wouldn't detect her smile. "Did it rain?" She asked, drawing his attention to her.

"No. Some old lady threw a bucket of cold water over me this morning because she thought I was spying on her grand-daughter." He responded.

She couldn't help but allow a burst of laughter to escape her mouth, "Sounds like fun."

He turned back to address his brother, "What the hell were you doing all night that kept you so distracted?"

Dean looked over guiltily at Christina. "Nothing. We killed the demon and came back here."

"And it didn't occur to you to call me?"

"It was my fault. I was in a lot of pain with my leg so I got Dean to put on a new dressing." Christina made an excuse.

But Sam didn't seem to be buying it. "You two had sex didn't you?"

Her mouth opened in shock that he'd been able to read them so well. "No." She tried to cover her embarrassment.

Sam looked at Dean who took no time in nodding, "Yeah. We did." He smiled. "She finds me irresistible."

Christina rolled her eyes, "You wish Winchester." She said turning on her heel and returning to the bathroom.

Sam walked over to his bed and sat down, "I don't get you two, most of the time you're fighting and the minute I turn my back you're like love struck teenagers." He expressed his observation of their relationship. It went silent between them for a minute of two before Sam made eye contact with his brother. "You like her don't you?"

"She's a pain in my ass." He indirectly answered.

But he read the true feelings behind his eyes instead of the bravado he tried to portray, "So why haven't you told her?"

"She's the only girl I actually wanted that I couldn't have for more than one night."

"Don't be so sure about that."


	4. Chapter 4

**FOUR**

Christina looked across at Dean as he drove them back to her father's. Their rendezvous the night before hadn't been mentioned since Sam had caught them in their cover up but she felt closer to him somehow, despite the distance it had created. It always amazed her, how intimate they could be and yet how so much like strangers they were. Dean was who he was and she had no desire to change him, although she found herself constantly on the verge of a broken heart. She wished, many times, that she could be the one girl that would stick for him. That he could settle down and she'd be the one he'd do it for, but at the same time she knew he wouldn't be the guy she fell in love with, if he did. If the truth were told, the angst between them was her way of dealing with her unsettling growing feelings for him. Dean wasn't the kind of guy girls fell for, even though she suspected there had been other women foolish enough to in the past, yet she couldn't help being emotionally involved. He was the only boy she'd had any form of contact with for years in the aftermath of his mother's death, and her parents, that she connected with instantly and maybe that was the reason she couldn't seem to let go. Things had been so much easier for the past 12 years because she hadn't had contact, and – even though she'd thought about him everyday – she was certain she'd found a way to rid herself of her feelings. It only took seeing him to make her realise that she'd buried them because they came flooding back. She would never tell him that, or make it apparent to him that she was in love… but denial only worked for so long and everyday it was getting harder and harder to hide.

"What?" Dean asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.

She frowned, "What?"

"You were staring."

"No I wasn't."

"Yeah, you were."

"Get over yourself."

"Hey, I get it. You're infatuated and who can blame you? I'm adorable. But I'm taking you home so you're going to have to stick a cork in it."

His cockiness only resulted in reminding her of his other side. "Boy do you got tickets on yourself Winchester." She huffed in denial as she shifted in the back seat to look out the window. "If you were the last guy on earth, I would still hate you."

Suddenly Sam turned in his seat to face her, "So, you two don't like each other? Even with what happened last night?"

"It was a mistake." She retorted.

"A mistake?"

"It happens Sam."

"Usually it doesn't happen more than once."

Christina cut her eyes at the older brother through the rear view mirror. "You told him?"

He smiled, "I don't have secrets from my brother."

She looked back at Sam, "Well, the first time I was too young to know better and last night I was horny as hell, I'd have slept with Lucifer if he'd have been around."

Dean looked back at her via the same mirror somewhat hurt by her confession. "Oh, don't be angry sweetheart. Just admit it, you love me."

"I don't lie well Dean." She countered.

Sam rolled his eyes and faced forward in his seat. "And here we go again."

Christina cut her eyes at the driver and addressed the passenger, "Tell me, when your told your brother about us, did he include how unsatisfying it was?" She asked trying to hit him where it hurt in order to get a reaction, keeping on the subject of their sexual encounter.

It worked. He slowed to a stop off road and his head whipped round to face her. "You didn't complain last night." He reminded her.

"That's because you were the one doing all the talking." She countered with an overconfident look.

"That's right. You were busy screaming." He smirked.

"That's because I didn't want to hurt your feelings."

"Hey, I may be many things but being bad in bed isn't one of them."

She laughed, "Whatever you need to tell yourself to get you through the day Winchester."

_Bobby's House, South Dakota – May 1995_

Christina lay in Dean's arms feeling contented. She'd seen a different side to him over the past few years as they'd trained together and she didn't mind admitting her feelings had developed into more. That's why she'd taken his father's announcement so badly, because she knew she'd barely get to see him.

Dean craned his neck to kiss her forehead, "You OK?"

She looked up at him, "Yeah." She responded, thinking of letting him know the extent of her feelings for him.

But before she could speak, she heard John announce their return. They both jumped up.

"Shit. Your Dad's back." Dean cursed searching for his jeans on the floor.

"He can't find us like this." She said, looking for her own clothes in a rush.

= X =

John walked into the lounge to find Sam right where he'd left him. "Where's your brother?"

"Upstairs." Sam replied.

"What the hell are they doing up there?" Bobby asked with a frown as he made his way up the stairs.

= X =

Christina found her t-shirt and put it on just in time, as her Dad opened her bedroom door and walked right in.

"What are you two…" Bobby trailed off seeing Dean pick up his shirt from the floor.

"Daddy, this isn't what it looks like." The teenage girl tried to cover what they'd done with a lie.

"Not what it looks like?" He asked looking at her. "Does it look like I've got stupid written across my forehead?"

"OK, let me explain."

"You don't need to. I know what happened." He said grabbing Dean before he had the chance to put his top on.

= X =

"I find you near her again boy, I'm going to beat you down." Bobby told the teenage boy as he dragged him down the stairs by his ear.

Christina rushed after them. "Daddy, this wasn't Dean's fault."

"You think you can take advantage of my girl?"

"He didn't." She insisted.

"I let you into my house and this is what you get up to?"

John walked out into the hallway, toward the noise of his friends booming voice, to find his eldest son half dressed. "What the hell's going on?"

"Ask Dean."

_Spokane, Washington (Highway 90) – Present Day_

The memory flashed in front of Dean's eyes as he started back on the road toward South Dakota. "Your father can't know about us." He told her.

"Relax, I'm not about to announce it to the world." She assured him with a roll of her eyes.

"Good, I like my body. I'd like to keep it in tact."

Sam smiled. "Did Bobby threaten you?"

Dean reluctantly nodded, "He said he'd rip me limb from limb if he caught me with her again."

He turned to face him, his eyes bulging from their sockets. "Bobby caught you?"

Christina slid forward to rest her forearms on the back of the front seat. "Your brother wasn't as fast at his getaways back then."

= X =

Sam checked the backseat to find Christina fast asleep. He turned to focus on the road ahead. "So, do you ever plan to tell her?" He asked his brother.

"Tell who, what?"

His eyes motioned to the woman in the car. "You know what I mean Dean."

Dean's eyes darted to the backseat to check on Christina. "Shhh. She's gonna hear you."

"How? She's asleep."

"Yeah, if she's actually asleep." He said in her direction, loud enough for her to hear if she was just dropping off or waking up.

Sam frowned, "She's asleep Dean. She dropped off about twenty minutes ago."

"Yeah well, I'm not talking about this."

"She won't hear us."

"Like I care. You're still not getting me to talk about it."

"Why?"

"Because emotional chick flick moments are your thing, not mine."

Sam sighed, frustrated that his brother was so disconnected from his emotions. "Fine."

"Good." He paused. "Bitch."

"Jerk."

= _A Few Hours Later_ =

Christina woke when she felt the car grind to a stop and realised the engine had been shut off. She yawned as she sat upright. "What's going on?" She asked as Sam exited the vehicle and slammed the passenger door behind him.

"We're stopping." Dean pointed out the obvious.

"Yeah. No shit Sherlock."

"You asked."

"Why are we stopping jerk-off?"

"I'm not driving through the night."

"If you'd have woke me, I could've taken over."

"But I like to sleep comfortably… in a bed."

"Where'd Sam go?"

"To order some rooms."

She frowned before realisation hit her, "Oh, because you're wanted by the authorities."

"Yeah. This is me keeping a low profile."

She coughed to clear her throat. "So where are we?"

"We're in the treasure state." He tried to be clever.

"That'd be great if I knew which state you were talking about."

Dean rolled his eyes, "We're in Billings, Montana."

= X =

Christina used the key Sam had given her and walked inside her room. She'd managed to get a change of clothes from her case, despite Dean's protest, and planned to have a shower before she met up with the brothers in the bar across the road. But she felt exhausted. Being possessed had taken the wind out of her sails and she didn't feel fully rested, even though it had been a few days. She looked around the room and sighed as she dropped down on the bed, she was so tempted to just curl up and fall asleep. But as the thought ran through her mind, her door knocked. She frowned as she sat up, and it took her a minute to get to her feet and answer it.

Pulling open the divide, she came face to face with Dean. She rolled her eyes. "What do you want?" She asked, turning on him and walking back into the room.

"I thought I'd come by and check if your room was OK." He responded knocking the door closed behind him.

She spun to face him. "It's fine, and no doubt exactly like yours." She responded sitting on the bottom of the bed. "So, why don't you tell me what you really came here for?"

He slowly made his way over and sat beside her. "I just thought we could talk." He confessed.

She frowned, "About what?"

"Uh… well, it's kind of about last night."

She rolled her eyes as she climbed to her feet, "There's nothing to talk about. I know what last night was. You don't have to worry; I'm not taking it as anything more. I knew exactly what I was doing."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I was using you, just as much as you were using me Dean. There's no need for you to simulate dumping me, my feelings aren't hurt." She lied to cover her breaking heart.

He looked up at her and cleared his throat. "Well, so long as we understand each other." He said, getting to his feet and starting to walk past her. But stopping short of the door, he turned back to face her. "And your Dad?"

"Will never know about us."

He nodded. "Good." He responded, walking out.

Christina helplessly threw herself on the bed with a growl. He infuriated her. The fact he had to keep ensuring that she wasn't emotionally involved despite them having a sexual connection made her furious, especially when she wanted so desperately to confess everything. It was exceptionally hard to hold back yelling it out when they fought. But she had to bite down firmly on her lip. He couldn't ever find out her true feelings.

= X =

"Did you tell her?" Sam asked his brother as he returned to the room.

Dean closed the door behind him, "No."

"But I thought that's what you went there for."

"She started talking about how last night was nothing more than sex and that she had no feelings for me."

"She actually said those words."

He shrugged, "Something to that affect, yeah."

"Well, maybe she was saying that stuff because she thought that was what you wanted to hear."

"Yeah, and maybe she was telling the truth and you just think you know something you don't know at all."

"But…"

"Bottom line, I'm not telling her so she can laugh in my face." He confessed. "Now I need a drink. You coming?"

= X =

Christina walked into the bar and spotted Sam straight away, so made her way over. "Where's Dean?"

Sam motioned toward his brother, "Doing what he does best."

Her head whipped around to see him chatting to a blonde at the bar and jealousy immediately ensued. "My God, if sex were fast food, he'd have an M-shaped arch over his head." She commented.

Sam smiled. "Yeah. He's like a dog on heat."

"Can he ever just talk to a girl and not be after sex?"

"He manages it with you." He pointed out.

"Oh, there was a time when every other line was an attempt at a pick-up. But I learned quickly to throw cold water on him. I've only just figured out that it's not always necessary for your brother to talk before he starts humping your leg."

Sam laughed. "I thought you said you two were close friends before."

"God, that seems like a lifetime ago." She was honest as she glanced over at him. "We've known each other a long time and yet some times I don't think we know each other at all."

"Why'd you say that?"

"Ah, you know, nobody really stays the same – and he just seems so different to the guy that left Dodge back in '95." She said dragging her eyes from the involuntary hold he had on them. "Some times I miss the Dean Winchester I used to know." Silence fell on them for a few minutes before she spoke again. "We didn't always fight so much. We used to actually be able to laugh together. But he's got it into his head that he has to distance himself from anyone who isn't family, so our friendship suffered." Sam stayed quiet and let her talk. "I wish we hadn't lost contact, but I just couldn't deal with the hunting lifestyle and he couldn't understand that, which meant we drifted further apart. Now we barely have a single thing in common."

"That doesn't necessarily mean that you don't know each other any more. You just grew up."

"Well, one of us did." She smiled, attempting to make a joke at Dean's expense.

= X =

Walking toward the men's toilet Dean caught sight of Christina with his brother and he was curious about their topic of conversation. Just an hour ago he'd been convinced by Sam to bring his feelings for the female to light, which he'd failed to do and now he was paranoid that his old-romantic of a brother would do the telling for him.

As he walked into the small room out of sight, he tried to push it to the back of his mind. Except, all he could do was think about it. Once he'd finished doing what he needed to do, he washed his hands and made his way back out into the bar to join them.

"What are you two doing?" He asked approaching their table.

"We're keeping each other entertained Dean. You can go back to your little friend, we're fine." Christina came back with.

"Ooh, is that jealousy I detect in your voice?"

"If you were the last man on earth, I would probably be jealous. But I know what awaits her in the bedroom, so I pity her."

He took immediate offence to her comment. "I know how to please a woman."

"Then please, leave me alone." She said, much to Sam's amusement.

Dean's discontent was obvious as he cut his eyes at his brother and then walked away in a huff.

= X =

Dean returned some hours later when Sam had left Christina alone to go to bed early. "I know what you're doing?" He said sitting down beside her.

She raised her eyebrows in morbid curiosity, "What am I doing?" She sighed.

"You're waiting for me."

She frowned, "Waiting for you to do what?"

"You want me."

She almost choked as she sipped her drink and laughed. "You're right. I want you to leave me alone."

Getting up from his seat, Dean stepped up behind Christina and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "I can see it in your eyes." He said, before walking away.

"Yeah well, when I look into your eyes, I see straight through to the back of your head." She shouted after him.

Her blood boiled as she watched him leave the bar. Because what he'd said was so close to the truth, she was angry. She'd put every effort into hiding it from him that she couldn't understand how he could know. Unless he was blowing hot air, in order to get a reaction from her.

Knocking back the last of her drink, she went after him. She was going to have it out with him once and for all. She was going to tell him how much it hurt to want to be with him and know it wasn't going to happen. She was going to lay it all out in all it's painstaking glory, if it was the last thing she did. Walking out into the car park, she looked around for any trace of him. But found none. She took a minute to try and control the fire burning in her stomach with a deep breath, but failed to extinguish the flames. As she was about to march to his room to have it out with him, once and for all, he spoke.

"Touch a nerve did I?" He asked, pushing himself off the wall behind where the door swung out.

Spinning in surprise Christina covered her heart with her hand. "You son of a… don't sneak up on me like that."

"I was just standing here." He said looking smug.

"Yeah, sure you were." She didn't believe him. "What are you waiting out here for?"

"Because I knew you'd come after me."

"And how did you know that?"

He shrugged as he started to circle her, "Because you can't resist a fight. Least of all with me."

"Dean, if this is one of your missions to get me to bite, you're not going to have to try too hard because I'm so close to kicking your ass."

Stopping, he stood in front of her wearing a smile. "I like it when we rough house."

She rolled her eyes, "I'm too tired to play your games." She said stepping around him. But before she got even two steps away, he spun and grabbed her by the arm. He pulled her back toward his body and enveloped her with his arms as he landed a full kiss to her lips.


	5. Chapter 5

**FIVE**

Christina flipped over onto her stomach so Dean was in her immediate line of vision. She wasn't completely sure how they'd gone from the car park to her room, but she knew that she hadn't fought his advances as much as she knew she should. Things between them couldn't continue down the route they were going without one or both of them getting too involved. Somehow she knew she'd be the one hurt, and she didn't fancy having a broken heart at the hands of Dean when he was the one person she could just pick up with from where they'd left off. Nothing was ever personal between them. The comments they slung back and forth, only niggled on the surface of their façade, neither of them were meant to take what was said too seriously. But now they were getting into emotional territory, and she knew how Dean felt about sentimental conversations. He kept his feelings close to his chest, and hardly ever let them known. They were similar in that sense. But the games they played with one another were getting tiresome.

"We have to stop doing this." She said, looking him dead in the eye. "It's no good for either of us."

"It feels pretty good." He smiled reaching up to brush some of her fringe off her face.

"But if we continue on this path, things are going to get messy." She was honest.

"How? I've got just over 9 months left. There's barely time for things to get messy."

"You're that naive?"

"C'mon, don't I deserve to have a little fun?"

"At my expense?"

"No. That's not what I meant."

She shifted to wrap a sheet around her and climbed out of the bed. "I know what you mean. You're having fun right Dean? Well, what happens when you go to hell? I'm going to be left behind, without you. Do you even think about that?"

He sat up, his lower half covered by the sheet left on the bed. "C'mon CJ, it's not like we're dating."

"No, we're not. But you don't date Dean. You jump from girl to girl expecting that they're out for exactly the same thing you are. It's all in fun right? Well, not everything is about sex." She started to raise her voice slightly. "Sometimes things escalate."

"You know as well as I do that love is just a dirty trick played on us to assure the continuation of the species."

"God, everything is a conspiracy theory with you. Why don't you ever get that not everyone is like you?"

"I'm unique baby." He smiled confidently.

"No you're not Dean. You just act like you are."

"Are you taking medication?" He tried to lighten the mood.

She sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. "What is it going to take for you to realise that this isn't healthy?"

"We're both adults. We know what this is."

"No, _we_ don't. I keep falling into the trap. I say it's not going to happen again, and here we are in bed together _again_." She sighed. "I can't keep doing this. I never know where I stand with you."

"I'm sorry, but not everyone is Sam."

"At least Sam has feelings. I'm not even sure you know how to feel anything other than anger and resentment."

"Different strokes for different folks."

She rolled her eyes in frustration. "But Dean, not everyone acts brave when they're scared to death. Not everyone pretends they don't feel something hoping it'll go away. I know you, as much as you fight it, I know you don't want to leave Sam. But you act like everything's going to come good because you're Dean Winchester." She sighed as involuntary tears started to leak from her eyes. "Well guess what? The world doesn't care who you are, who you've saved or what you do… you're still going to hell and you need to start thinking about all the people that love you, that are going to be left here wanting you here with them."

He shifted closer to her, "Does that list include you?"

This was it. This was the time to tell him how she felt. The opportunity had risen. But she was scared. "Are you really so blind that you don't know?" She questioned, hoping she wouldn't have to lay it all out in detail.

"I want to hear you say it." He responded, wanting her to tell him exactly how she felt so he wouldn't get any signal twisted.

"You've been a major part of my life for so long." She was candid. "There isn't a day that passes that I don't miss you."

He reached up to cup her face in his hand, "I wish it could be more than this. But I'm not going to be around forever and it wouldn't be fair to you."

She concentrated on the small display of affection he offered. "I guess I'm just going to have to take what I can get." She said with a tolerable smile.

The only response he gave was to ease her lips in his direction and lay a tender kiss upon them. Christina didn't pull away, even though she knew she should. This kiss was different. It didn't feel like the others, it seemed to mean more. Slowly she shifted, encouraging the sheet hiding her modesty to fall around her hips. Shrugging the bedclothes from around her naked form, she climbed upon him, instantly feeling how ready he was for her. She forced him backward, lightly pressing him into the mattress as she straddled his thighs.

Her pulse began to thud crazily as his soft lips responded to hers. His kisses tasted so sweet that it made her head swim with desire. Her mouth opened slightly inviting him to explore deeper, and he immediately accepted. Tenderly he slipped his tongue inside her mouth and caressed hers, kissing her with a rough sensuality that made her want him more. He was attentive without being overbearing as he kissed her over and over, but it wasn't enough to satisfy the need in her and just as she thought she was going to drown in her ache for him, he pulled away. But only long enough to take control, flipping her onto the mattress and taking her place on top.

His mouth lowered to hers, painfully slow and when it reached its destination, his lips caressed hers so faintly that they were hardly felt, until she opened her mouth, giving him access inside. He groaned his response and quickly desire turned to passion. She moaned in excitement as he pressed her against the mattress. Her thirst for his touch began to flow like a river throughout her body causing the kiss to deepen.

Finally he prized his mouth from hers and, breathing hard, whispered her name. His hand moved above her head to stroke her hair as he stared at her, needing no words to tell her he found her beautiful and her hand automatically rose to his cheek. The way he looked at her made her stomach knot and her heart race. She rose up effortlessly finding his mouth and, as he pushed her back down on the bed, her hands paused on his arms blindly examining his biceps.

His hands similarly explored her body with the lightest of caresses, sending a spasm of yearning through her despite his fingers barely brushing against the skin. His tenderness meant she hadn't been prepared for his mouth to cover her breast and circle the hardened nipple with his tongue. Christina gasped; it was as if fireworks were going off around her, showering sparks of sensation over her body. Her back arched towards him as he kissed her again. His hand slid to her hips, lifting her body to his, forcing her to acknowledge his need of her. Then his mouth trailed downward, from her lips to her throat, from her breasts to every curve of her body, before it reached the most intimate part of her. Gently he allowed the tip of his tongue to taste her and he almost drowned in her flavour. If it weren't for the feeling of his own control slipping he would've stayed there forever, pleasuring her.

Relocating himself back to his original position, his lips on hers, he pressed his body to hers and she immediately felt the hardness of his body, resulting in her own arousal to become tinged with urgency.

Boldly she made contact with his manhood and her growing need of him rose further still from the pit of her stomach. Coyly she took him into her hand and steadily stroked along his rock hard member being careful not to stimulate him out of control. This time was different between them. It was almost like the first time there was so much intensity.

He kissed her with gentle passion, taking back control of what was about to unfold. He kissed her until she breathed his name. He touched her body until every part of her knew him and wanted him – and only then did he take her. Her breath caught in her throat with the sheer thrill of how good he felt as he slipped himself inside her. She arched toward him, and he thrust deeper. Over and over their bodies moved in rhythm. The pleasure was sweet agony they couldn't bear any longer, it was like drowning, losing themselves in each other and it wasn't long before they came together, completing their passionate exchange.

= X =

Christina snuck out of her hotel room, leaving Dean to sleep. She hadn't been able to drop off, her mind was a whirl with possibilities of how to get Dean out of his deal and she'd finally come up with one. She'd managed to get the keys for the Impala out of his pocket once he'd dropped into a deep sleep and now she was going to put her idea into action. Making her way to the car, she was unaware she had been seen.

"Hey." The familiar voice startled her.

But she played it cool as she tried to keep the keys from jingling in her pocket, to tip him off. "Hey." She smiled watching him approach from the other side of the car.

"Dean with you?"

"Yeah." She scratched her head nervously. "We were uh…"

He smiled, "That's OK. I don't need to know the details." He stopped her. "So, what you doing out here?"

"I just wanted some air."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

Silence fell on them. "You OK?" He asked breaking the awkwardness between them.

She took a deep breath. "Not really."

"What's up?"

"It's Dean."

He frowned, "What's he done?"

"Nothing. It's not him. It's this deal. I can't stop thinking about it."

He raised his eyebrows, "I know how that feels."

"Are you sure there's no way to get him out of it?"

"He won't let me try."

"But, you've got to."

"I know. But it's hard to find something when he's fighting against it so hard."

She sighed, "He doesn't want you to die Sam. You can understand that, can't you?"

"That's the way I feel. But he doesn't get it."

"Maybe there's a way to get him out of the deal without either of you getting dragged in."

Sam frowned, "How?"

She shrugged, "Maybe my Dad'll find a way to save him."

"We haven't found anything yet."

"Well, there's still time." She said dropping her eyes to the floor.

He was immediately suspicious. "Yeah."

Again silence filled the space between them. "Anyway… I'm going to take a walk. Maybe I'll get tired." She said, faking a smile.

Sam watched her walk away; suspicion still rolling around in her head about their particular topic of conversation and it suddenly dawned on him what she was planning.

= X =

The banging on the door took him by surprise, waking him and forcing him to focus. He struggled to put on his boxers on his way to reach the door before another bang shook it. When he pulled it open he came face to face with his younger brother.

"Get dressed. You've got to go after Christina." He announced.

Dean looked back at the bed. He hadn't even realised she was gone. "Where's she gone?" He asked grabbing his jeans and struggling into them as Sam followed him inside.

He sighed, "I think she's gone to make a deal for you at the crossroads."

He frowned, "What? Why do you think that?"

"Because she was talking about a way to save you without either of us getting involved."

"When was this?" He asked putting his shirt over his head.

"Just… I saw her outside with the Impala."

"She took my car?" He demanded in a raised voice.

"No, she took off on foot."

Dean checked his pockets, "She's got my keys."

"We've got to catch up to her before she makes that deal Dean."

He put on his jacket, "I can't believe I've got to hotwire my car again."

"Dean…"

But before Sam had a chance to finish his sentence, his brother had gone.

= X =

Christina dug a hole in the centre of the crossroads and buried the tin box filled with all the ingredients to summon the demon, including her picture. She covered it with the loose gravel she'd removed from the road and stood upright to wait. She glanced down every avenue to find no signs of anyone and she sighed. She knew patience was a virtue but she was impetuous.

"Well, what do we have here?" A deep manly voice asked from behind her.

She spun around to face him, trying to hide her fright at his sudden appearance. She noticed instantly that he was handsome, and looked similar to Dean. But she forced herself to remember exactly what was wearing the human body as a suit. "I want to make a deal." She announced coldly.

"Obviously. Why else would you be here?" He asked circling her.

With a roll of her eyes she turned so he was in her eye line again. His flirtatious manner wasn't something she paid mind to; she was focused on getting what she came for. "I want to trade my soul for Dean's."

"Dean Winchester?" He asked for clarification.

"Yeah."

He frowned, "Why?"

"I don't need to explain myself to you." She spat out. "Now can you do it, or not?"

"Not?" Dean's masculine voice demanded to the left of her, silencing the crossroads demon.

"Dean, what are you doing here?"

"I'm stopping you from doing something stupid." He responded.

Realisation hit her, "Sam."

"He told me about your little conversation and I'm not going to let you go through with this."

"You don't have a choice. I want to do this."

He shook his head, "I'm not worth it."

"I disagree."

"Come back when you're ready to do business." The crossroads demon said over her shoulder before disappearing down the road.

"Do you have any idea how your Dad would feel about this?" Dean laid on the guilt trip.

"He'd get over it Dean."

"I wouldn't." His voice softened. "My Dad's dead because of me. I won't let you sacrifice yourself too."

"Do you understand where you're going? You're not going where there are lollipops and candy canes Dean. Hell isn't going to be a picnic, and for all your bravado I know you're scared."

He approached her, "Yeah, I am. I don't want to die. But do you think living is going to be any better for me if I let you sacrifice yourself?" The question was rhetorical. "CJ, Hell would be a walk in the park compared to what Bobby'd do to me if I let you go through with this."

"I don't care. At least you'd be here." She fought him as tears cascaded down her face.

"But you wouldn't be and I don't want to live if you're not around." He said wrapping his arms around her.

She surrendered to her emotions and broke down in the comfort of his arms. "You're not supposed to die yet. Not like this."

"Better this way than bludgeoned with a crucifix."

She forced herself free of his comforting arms. "What's it going to take for you to be serious about this?"

He pulled a face as he considered his witty response, "Hell to freeze over, and then problem solved." He smiled.

She angrily hit out at him, catching him in the chest with her fist, "Not funny."

He pulled the usual Dean face, dragging down the corners of his mouth as he glanced off to the right, "It's a little funny."

Her jaw dropped open, "Sam's right. What's the point of trying to save you when you clearly don't care?"

He got angry, "Hey, I care OK. But it's me or Sam, those are the options and I'm not about to let my brother die."

"Wow, a reaction – finally."

"What do you want me to do CJ? Stand by and let them win by collecting the soul of people I care about?"

"But they'll win anyway, by you going to Hell."

"No, they won't. Because I'm going to kill as many of the sons of bitches I can while I'm down there."

"Fine! Don't fight this. I give up." She said throwing her hands in the air helplessly.

= _The Next Morning _=

Sam looked from Dean to Christina and back again as they sat in the local diner eating breakfast. The two hadn't spoken to each other once and the silence was killing him.

"OK, what's going on with you two?" He asked throwing his napkin onto his empty plate.

"Nothing." They replied in unison.

"I get it, you're not talking to each other. I just don't get why. You were pretty friendly last night."

Christina sighed as she folded her arms, "That was before your brother was inconsiderate and stupid."

Dean frowned shooting forward in his chair, "If I was so inconsiderate, I'd have let you go through with that deal." He said. "If anything, you're the one who's stupid."

She cut her eyes at him, "I would've got 10 years Dean, not one."

"Doesn't matter."

"You had no right to stop me."

"I had every right."

"It was my decision and I was OK with it."

"Well, I wasn't." He said relaxing back in his seat. "Sam, tell her that no-one else is dying because of me."

"Tell Dean that the offer came and went last night. He obviously wants to be Hell's bitch and I'm not going to stand in his way."

"Good." He said with a raised voice.

"Fine!" She shouted drawing the attention of the other diners. She looked around at them, "Something I can help you with?"

Sam got to his feet, "OK guys, time to go."

= X =

Sam rolled his eyes as they sat in the car on the road back to South Dakota. They'd been driving for two hours and still his companions hadn't spoke. The silence was deafening.

"OK guys, this has got to stop. You're both being childish, and Bobby will pick up on this tension." He said with a sigh.

"She started it." Dean demanded.

"Typical." Christina countered causing the driver to shoot a look in her direction.

"What?" He questioned agitated.

"I just think it's typical of you, to blame someone else when all I wanted to do was help."

"It was stupid and irresponsible."

She shot forward in her seat, "You wanna know why I was going to do it Dean?"

"I know why."

"No, you just think you know why."

"Alright, why?"

"Because… since the first time we slept together I've had a thing for you. I didn't want you to know, so I left. But when I heard about what you'd done for Sam, I had to come back. I wanted you to know. And then I saw you. You were the same Dean that left the house that night, and I couldn't say it. Because I knew _that_ Dean didn't get involved, he just slept with you and took off. I wanted more than that, I've always wanted more than that. But I'm not stupid, I know you're not a roots and normalcy kind of guy so I always put how I felt to the side because being your friend was always better than being nothing to you at all."

He immediately felt guilty. She was laying out her feelings, and he had to do the same. He might not get another opportunity, "You think you know me."

"Are you going to tell me you've changed?" She asked, with her eyebrows raised.

He glanced over at his brother who nodded slightly at him, encouraging him to pull over off the road. Turning off the engine, he looked back at her. "Out the car."

She frowned as she watched him get out and looked at Sam for any inclination of what was to come, but he gave nothing away. Cautiously she did as she was told, checking the road before she opened the door. Despite the daytime hour the road they were travelling down was quiet. Slamming the door behind her, she made her way around the vehicle toward Dean.

"I haven't been completely honest with you." He revealed after a deep breath to gather up the courage. "There are only two women in my life I've ever had feelings for, Cassie and you."

She did a double take, "Say it again, that was my trick ear."

"The reason I've been fighting you this whole time is because I didn't want to get to close."

"You… had feelings for me." She repeated, trying to get it to sink in.

"I should've told you before, but… you know me."

She paced for a while absorbing the information. But she didn't take it as it was intended; she instantly jumped on the defensive. "Wow."

"OK, you don't need to sound so surprised."

"This is a big deal."

"No, it isn't."

"Yes, it is. It proves you have the ability to feel compassion and affection."

"I knew I shouldn't have told you."

"No, really, this is great. I tell you I have feelings for you and you tell me you _had_ feelings for me. So, once again, I'm the one with my heart on the line." She said, tears in her eyes. "Because you're going to die, and I'm going to be stuck here knowing that at least once you felt the way I feel. Fantastic. I can't wait to spent the rest of my life wishing I'd have said something sooner, because maybe it'd have been different."

Dean frowned, "I tell you something like that and you manage to pick a fight. How do you do that?"

"It's a gift." She said, tears streaming down her face. "Now can you take me home please? I'd like to be alone as quick as possible."

Sam frowned at his brother as they climbed in the car and realised she was crying. But Dean silently signalled that he'd explain once they were alone as he started the car and got back to the journey.

=======================================================X=====================================================

I am now publishing this story… please see my profile for information on where to purchase it if you'd like a copy.

Thank you for your support.


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